Oddments & Curiosities

Spotted Together...

2012-02-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not one to gossip, but I couldn't help noticing these two oddments strolling into a painting together on Valentine's Day!!! If anyone can add to this sensational story, please share your insights in Field Notes below.

Full disclosure: this image has been Photoshopped.

Forging Valentines!

2012-02-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

No oddment today (it's an even day, after all)-- but I do have a soft spot for valentines, & thought I'd share one of my oldest favorites-- it's an original Ernest Nister, No. 3078 if you're counting, & when you pull the tab, Cupid's hammer comes smashing down on the anvil. It has been loved a little hard over the years, but the tab still works & I can't resist playing with it every February!

Wishing you all your favorite celebration of the day, whether that means roses & chocolate, or hanging around the workplace wearing nothing but a leather apron. ;-)

R is for Rokurokubi

2012-02-13T15:15:00.000-05:00

This week's entry for AlphaBeasts! is Rokurokubi. These yokai look like normal humans by day, but at night, they are real rubber-neckers.

Acrylic on illustration scanned from True Experiences Magazine, February 1937. Honestly I couldn't believe my luck when I found this illo & caption!

Click here if you'd like to see all my AlphaBeasts thus far.

Like Water for Oddments

2012-02-12T11:32:00.000-05:00

Here's another character design. This is the only one in the painting & we've caught it at a quiet (thirsty) moment, but I think it's actually a very playful beast. I like to imagine a whole pondful of them, splashing around & spraying each other.

(This isn't the painting itself-- it's the Photoshop color sketch, touched up & background added.)

Leafnosher

2012-02-09T19:41:00.000-05:00

Another being from the painting I mentioned...

Photoshop

Berrybug

2012-02-07T17:30:00.001-05:00

This jolly little critter is a character design for a painting I'm working on. In the actual painting he is about 1.75" tall.

Photoshop

Q is for Qirin

2012-02-05T23:52:00.000-05:00

This week's entry for AlphaBeasts! is Qirin, better known to beer drinkers by its Japanese spelling, Kirin.

This beast has many confusing manifestations, both Chinese & Japanese. It is sometimes known as the Chinese Unicorn, although in most depictions it has two horns. Some versions are very close to Longma (with dragon-like head & scales & a horse-like body), some more deer-like, & some like a giraffe. There is speculation that this creature may have been inspired by travelers' descriptions of the giraffe, & in fact, the modern Japanese for "giraffe" is "kirin."

I chose a combination of deer- & giraffe-like elements, along with the traditional flames.

Acrylic on an illustration (~5"x7" ) scanned from St. Nicholas Magazine, July 1920. I love the caption, & it explains golf to me, since the 20% that is visible to outsiders seems unbearably boring. It makes me wonder what on earth all those straight-laced dudes in polo shirts are imagining out there on the links! (Of course the article was actually all about visualizing the shot, but I like my version better.)

Graphite Gang

2012-02-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

I've been very remiss in my Oddments (just too much on my plate) but last night I did manage a little pencil doodle for IF's "Suspense" prompt. I don't know what this lot are up to but it doesn't look good.

Pencil on paper, ~ 4"x4"

p.s. This has nothing to do with oddments, but a wonderful artist friend of mine, Allison Sommers, could really use your help: her beloved pet hedgehog Ludwig has developed a tumor & she is having a sale to raise medical funds. If you would like to buy some amazing art & help a suffering beastie, please go here or here.

P is for Penghou

2012-01-29T21:21:00.000-05:00

This week's entry for AlphaBeasts! is a Chinese creature, though also known in Japan by the name Hōkō. It strikes me as a sort of Cheshire Dog: it is a tree spirit, with a dog's body but a human-ish grin, & according to Wikipedia, it tastes just like dog. :-O

edit: I forgot to include the medium &c.!
Acrylic on illustration scanned from Chatterbox 1882, ~7"x9.5"

Happy 180th Birthday Lewis Carroll!

2012-01-27T19:25:00.001-05:00

This isn't a proper oddment, because it's an old piece. But I just couldn't let Mr. Dodo-Dodgson's birthday go by without a mention.

Curiouser & curiouser!

Arabesque

2012-01-26T13:01:00.001-05:00

I have quite a long-standing obsession with twirly curly tendrils. I'm not sure what it is about these shapes that always makes me feel a little tingle of delight. Could it be that they remind me of the childish pleasure of spinning?

I'd intended to do this one yesterday, but my schedule is spinning out of control these days, so I may be a bit erratic in my oddment posts for a little while.

Photoshop with text from The Practical Standard Dictionary.

O is for Otoroshi

2012-01-22T23:53:00.000-05:00

This week's entry for AlphaBeasts is Otoroshi, an exceptionally hairy, tusk-bearing, gate-guarding monster. Normally he hangs out on temple gates, but this time he's gracing a Marvel-ous wire number from Jim Brown's Catalogue, 1939.

Aubergina

2012-01-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

Which came first, the oddment or the egg?

Photoshop on text from Chambers's Encyclopaedia, 1906.

p.s. I was invited to be a guest blogger on Karen Elliot's Word Shark blog. Thanks, Karen!

Snow Monkey

2012-01-19T19:31:00.000-05:00

It has been a snowless Winter here, unusually warm even for North Carolina, but today I've been remembering all the snowy places I've lived...

Photoshop with text from Ahn's New American Interpreter, 1928

Curiously Contiguous Creatures

2012-01-17T13:17:00.003-05:00

This is my hundredth oddment post! (That's only counting the ones with critters in 'em.) Frankly I'm a little surprised that I've made it this far, & I thought I should do something special for the occasion, but I was drawing a blank, so I just decided to do 100 little oddments, all jammed in together like a jigsaw puzzle. I hope I counted right! It got confusing after a while.

It would have been nice to color these, but then I'd never get it done on time! In general, making all these oddments fit into my life has been quite a puzzle in itself, but overall I'm glad I decided to give it a try. Thanks for cheering me on! Now we'll see if I make it to my actual goal, a full year of oddments. I'm over halfway there! :-)

Pencil on paper, plain & simple. ~7.5"x4"

N is for Namazu

2012-01-16T11:45:00.001-05:00

This week's critter for AlphaBeasts! is Namazu, a giant catfish monster who causes earthquakes & tsunamis whenever he manages to wrestle free from his usual captive state. I thought it was interesting that catfish do tend to abandon their normal bottom-feeding habits when they feel tremors; their unusual activity at such times probably led to this legend.

Acrylic on illustration from Cornell's Primary Geography, 1873. (And yes, I know catfish don't live in the ocean. Namazu is a river-beast. But I figured he might wander seaward when he's in mid-mischief.)

Come Try My Helmet On!

2012-01-13T19:49:00.001-05:00

{Please listen to The Bobs "Helmet" while viewing this post for full effect.}

This little fellow suited up in preparation for Friday the 13th, & so far, nothing has done him harm. May all of you survive the day intact!

Drifter

2012-01-11T17:07:00.002-05:00

It's raining, it's pouring, & I'm imagining a little oddment hitching a ride along the gutter... life is but a dream.

Photoshop with text from a Ahn's New American Interpreter, 1923

M is for Me-kurabe

2012-01-09T00:10:00.000-05:00

This week's entry for AlphaBeasts!

The Me-Kurabe is a strange being/ phenomenon-- a sort of skull-mountain staring contest creature. The skulls of one's victims materialize & roll about, then assemble themselves into a gruesome pile, whereupon they stare fixedly & accusingly until they're stared down, whereupon they disappear.

After I was pretty far into this it occurred to me that it might not qualify as beast, per se... but by then I'd invested too much time to justify starting over! (Although I hasten to add, I didn't draw the skulls. See below.)

Acrylic on scanned (& Photoshopically duplicated) illustration & text from First Lessons in Physiology and Hygiene, 1885, ~3"x4".

The original looked like this:

By the way, if you'd like to see all my AlphaBeasts together, click here.

Groundbird

2012-01-07T10:49:00.001-05:00

A silly little entry for IF's "grounded" prompt.

It just so happened that I'd recently bought one of these grounding adapters so as to plug a new lamp into our antiquated outlets. The shape & texture reminded me a bit of a flightless bird, so I broke out my Testor's gold enamel & feathered it up. The eye & background are acrylic on paper.

1 7/8" tall.

Peekaboo!

2012-01-05T19:01:00.000-05:00

This little calendar was a Fleam find, complete with a curiously-shaped hole crying out to be oddmentified. So I made a little fellow to peer through & wish you a Happy New Year. Don't try to use the calendar though-- it's a bit out of date.

Acrylic on paper with found booklet, ~5"x5" when open.

The (pre-oddment) cover appears below. There were interior pages too, but no longer attached to the cover. You may see them in future oddments! ;-)

L is for Longma

2012-01-02T23:50:00.001-05:00

This week's entry for AlphaBeasts made it in just under the wire. I couldn't find any Japanese beasts that began with L so I went for a Chinese dragon-horse. It took just a wee bit longer to paint than I'd planned!

I do love painting highlights, & golden scales call for lots of 'em! If you'd like to see a couple of process scans, here's my Longma post on Curious Art Lab.

Acrylic on text scanned from Young People's Natural History, 1901

By the way, 2012 will be the year of the Dragon, although the new year won't officially happen until the 23rd.

Edit: Prints of this painting are now available in my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/90845784/longma-signed-archival-art-print-year-of

Old & New

2011-12-31T20:40:00.000-05:00

No time for Oddmentification today, so instead I'll share one of my favorite old postcards. It was made in Germany & postmarked 1907.

May all of you stellar beings slide happily into the New Year without being knocked down by passing meteors!

K is for Krampus

2011-12-29T18:30:00.000-05:00

A belated entry for this week's AlphaBeasts! I couldn't resist taking a brief vacation from the Japanese Hokai to pay tribute to a rather sinister holiday character.

I was inspired by this book that I found at the Flea Market. The torn part of the cover seemed to cry out for a Krampus. Even the moon wanted to be a horn, & the sleigh runner made me think of his beard. Santa's baleful expression seemed to fit right in too.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Krampus, he's St. Nick's "bad cop" partner in Alpine tradition. He punishes naughty children by stuffing them into his sack. Whatever becomes of them after that, it can't be very jolly!

I've spent a little time in Germany & Austria near Christmas, & Krampus is everywhere. Chocolates, cookies, decorations-- pretty much any place you'd find Santa. He even gets his own parade!

If you'd like to see the astounding Krampus parade in Graz, Austria, check out this video.

Acrylic on text from a German-English dictionary, with found book cover.

Orn-oddment

2011-12-23T17:50:00.000-05:00

Feeling considerably merrier today-- & my to-do list is looking just a skinch less panic-worthy-- so I decided I had time to whip up a jolly little critter for the tree, & for all of you lovely people! I hope your holidays are full of warmth, revelry & good humor.
:-)

Acrylic on paper recycled from discarded manila folder, about 2"x2.5"

Oh Joy...

2011-12-21T23:18:00.000-05:00

I have an oddment in the works but at the moment things are just too hectic with work deadlines, house guests & holiday madness. So instead I'm posting a teaser. I found this delightful relic at the Fleam. To me Santa's weary expression juxtaposed with the title is hilarious.

I have a little something in mind for this but I may not get it done by Christmas at this rate! So just enjoy it as is for the moment. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Solstice, & whatever else you choose to celebrate!

J is for Jinmenju

2011-12-19T17:42:00.003-05:00

Hobbling in late in the day for this week's AlphaBeasts! is the curious Jinmenju or head tree. Please forgive my tardiness... trees do move rather slowly, after all. (For instance, our Christmas tree still hasn't managed to make it through the door.)

Instead of the usual fruit, or shiny baubles in the holiday spirit, this particular tree sports living human(ish) heads. Traditionally they are all smiling & laughing, but I've been going through a lot of mood swings lately despite the seasonal ho-ho-hoing, so I decided to let them emote as they would.

I really should have done this one in Photoshop for speed & tweakability, but no, I had to go & do it in acrylic, on a page scanned from Jim Brown's Catalogue, 1939. ~4.5"x7" When I realized I was running late, I rushed through it, & I'm not very pleased with the results... oh well.

Tree-Dweller

2011-12-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

This fellow climbed out of a painting-in-progress to hang out here for a bit... keeping an eye on things while I attend to other pressing matters.

Photoshop

H is also for Hadpanagus!!!

2011-12-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

At this time of year, some may have visions of sugarplums... but not Hadpanagus!

This fan-oddment was inspired by the amazing AZ, whose contributions to AlphaBeasts are truly nonpareil & have engendered some pretty unusual fan art too. I tried to resist, butt...

Photoshop with text from The Practical Standard Dictionary.

H is for Hakutaku

2011-12-13T21:14:00.001-05:00

This is a belated entry for last week's AlphaBeasts!

Hakutaku is the Japanese name for a Chinese monster, Baí Zé, who supposedly dictated a legendary demonography. The original Chinese form of this creature was more lion-like, but in Japan it developed a more chimeric form, possessing nine eyes & six horns, a semi-human face & goat-like hooves. Further distorted by me. :-)

Acrylic on an ad scanned from a 1937 True Experiences magazine, ~5.5"x7.5"

I'm hoping to get back to my regular Oddments schedule now, but I am still running behind due to the dreadful computer crash, so please forgive me if I'm a tad erratic!

I is for Inu-gami

2011-12-12T13:54:00.000-05:00

The oddments are back with a roar!!!! That is to say, with a ferocious entry for AlphaBeasts!

This avenging beast is the Inu-gami, a dog spirit. Frankly this one really terrifies me.

I have a mild fear of dogs to begin with, due to the many attacks engraved on my memory from one traumatic teenage year as a bicycle-riding paper carrier-- but that's not why-- it is the way these creatures are created that really give me the creeps:

According to the Obakemono Project: "One method for creating an inu-gami, it is said, is to tie a hungry dog and place a bowl of food just out of its reach. When its desire is thus focused, its head must be cut off and enshrined, moving its ravenousneeds into the spirit world and creating a terrible weapon for the dog's former master."

Other sources suggested burying a dog up to its neck with food just out of reach, then beheading it. :-O

That's what I call a horror story! I fervently hope people didn't actually do this sort of thing... please let it just be mythological...

Acrylic on cover illustration scanned from St. Nicholas Illustrated Magazine, September 1908. Why these finely-clad youngsters were weighing their puppy, I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure they weren't expecting this fellow to barge in.

p.s. Yes, my computer is working again! My electrical engineer brother heroically nursed it back to life. I have a lot of catching up to do, but I'm so happy to be back in action! Thanks "Byte Barn"! (That's what he calls his all-too-busy family-&-friends tech service company, ha!)

Gravity's Rainbow :-(

2011-12-02T12:24:00.001-05:00

Oh what a crazy arc this week has taken. It was off to a soaring start with A Word A Day & the new Etsy shop. I've conversed with many wonderful people since Monday & had quite a few Etsy orders. I found some beautiful archival paper for my prints. I had just loaded it into my printer-- & then my computer crashed. Utterly, completely, horribly. I was on the phone with Dell for hours to no avail. There are still a couple of tiny threads of hope that I'll be following, & thank goodness, I do have Crashplan, although I'm not sure how much recent data was lost before it could be captured... we shall see, if it comes to that...

I have to admit there was a moment there when I seriously thought "Am I being punished for selling my work?" I'm trying to quash that line of thinking-- especially because, if all else fails, the Etsy orders will go a long way to paying for a new computer, haha! People have been remarkably patient, kind & understanding about the delay, I must say. I spent a sleepless night worrying that they'd think I was hopelessly incompetent, or worse, running some sort of scam!

Needless to say, Oddments will be on hold for a bit.

I'm told that rainbows are actually circular... like that ol' wheel of fortune.

Fresh Squeezed

2011-11-29T14:22:00.001-05:00

I've never been a good salesperson. I remember working in a dress shop for about two weeks as a teenager & cringing through every second of it. Luckily a job opened up in the public library & I was off like a shot! I'm sure my departure was as much of a relief for the shop owner as it was for me. Though maybe if I'd stayed, my dismal sales skills would have improved eventually...

But they didn't. And I'm even worse when it comes to selling my own art. Mind you, I definitely love it when people buy my work! I just hate the selling part.

So it has taken me years to gird my loins to set up an Etsy shop, but I've finally done it! The shop is called Curious Art Lab. I'll be listing pieces somewhat randomly & gradually so if there are Oddments you'd like to see there please let me know.

Okay, sales pitch over, whew!

Acrylic on text from New American Business Cyclopedia, 1924., ~3"x3"

G is for Gashadokuro

2011-11-27T11:10:00.000-05:00

This week's entry for AlphaBeasts!

If you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise... Gashadokuro, the giant skeleton! This huge & deadly creature likes to bite off human heads. Its appearance is heralded by a ringing in the ears. I think I've had some close encounters after performances by loud bands! ;-)

Acrylic on illustration scanned from Frank Leslie's Chatterbox, 1880-1881, ~6.5"x7.5" You may need to click the image to see the tiny human in the picture-- he was much more prominent to my eyes before the skeleton crept in, though luckily he still has his head.

Edit: Isaac asked to see the original illo before Oddification, so here it is! Click for a closer view, & I think you'll see what I mean about the human figure.

Also, I can finally now reveal that the "Mysterious" series was to illustrate A Word A Day for this week! As a word nerd, I dearly love that site, & I've been a subscriber for ages, so I was over the moon to be a part of it.

Speaking of over the moon, I just have to give a shout-out to another Curiosity: the one that's headed to Mars!!

Cran-buried

2011-11-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I love Thanksgiving, I really do, but the aftermath, not so much!

I'd actually planned to do this in cranberry "ink" but my first attempt was disappointingly faint, & I really didn't feel like cooking anything else, so I fell back on good old acrylics.

The text is from Little Lessons in Corrective Eating, Vol.II by Eugene Christian, 1914. I'd planned to tear off the bottom part of the page to make it roughly square, but I just liked that line about skipping luncheon too much to do it.

Spoonful of Thanks!

2011-11-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's time to start stirring things up for the biggest food-focused holiday of all, here in the US anyway. So I thought it would be fun to paint a spoon. This was the first time I've tried smashing a spoon flat. (I was afraid it wouldn't scan well otherwise.) I used a rubber mallet, laid the spoon on a towel on the basement floor (cement), & waled away-- it was harder than I expected & the results were a bit lumpy, but that just helped me come up with the contours for the silly face.

Acrylic on an old silver-plate spoon, ~7" tall.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I'm immensely thankful for all of you who visit me here, & especially those who follow & leave comments!

p.s. I'm about to open an Etsy shop, finally!! If you have any favorite oddments, please let me know & I'll try to list them soon. Thanks again, y'all!

F is for Futakuchi-onna

2011-11-21T11:44:00.001-05:00

This week's entry for Alphabeasts! is Futakuchi-onna, the two-mouthed woman. A woman who has been starved, often by a miserly husband, develops a second mouth in the back of her head, two snaky ropes of hair that reach out to grab whatever food is nearby, & a hugely voracious appetite, though no food passes through her normal lips.

Acrylic on ad scanned from a 1937 True Experiences magazine, ~5"x6"

Isn't it interesting how much ideals of beauty have changed since then? And how little advertising has? This magazine was full of weight-gain snake oil ads... exactly the same tone of shaming & quick-fix hope as in today's diet ads, only in the opposite direction!

This Island Earth

2011-11-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

More tweaks & additions to the "Mysterious Series"... the first state of this one is here... not sure if there will be more.

{Edit: It can now be revealed that this piece was for a series of illustrated definitions/initials on the wonderful word-lover's website A Word A Day! This one illustrates the word "terrene."}

The original art & prints are available in my Etsy shop.

Days (& Days) of Wine & Roses

2011-11-17T19:56:00.001-05:00

Yes, this is a piece I've posted before, but I really felt like it needed a little something more, so I added this garland of roses, which I hope will reinforce both the "pleasant fragrance" & "redolent of the past" elements of the definition.

Incidentally, this was redolent of my own past, since I seemed to get a great many overly-sweet, decorative, flowery jobs when I first started freelancing. Much as I love flowers, that rut got very boring very soon, so I did something of a rubber-burning U-turn away from rose-land, & I am painfully rusty with rose painting now! (As I'm afraid is obvious here.)

Not long ago I was contacted (via web) by one of those early clients who asked if I was the same Leah Palmer Preiss who used to do pretty things! I had a good laugh over that one. I can wax nostalgic over many other things, but oh, I'm so glad I made that move.

Strong, Silent Type

2011-11-15T22:18:00.001-05:00

I've had a devilish time painting this fellow, & I'm still not happy with him-- maybe because life is super-hectic at the moment & it's even harder than usual for me to channel yogi-like balance & quiet mind...

Easy there, steady now, Leah!

I'll probably give him a few more tweaks before I release him into the wild, but for now, I think I'll go do a little yoga myself. Though maybe not this exact pose... ;-)

Acrylic on text on canvas, 6"x6"

If you're curious about my process you can see a very early state of this piece here.

E is for Enenra

2011-11-13T22:30:00.000-05:00

This week's entry for AlphaBeasts!

Enenra is a smoke-monster, normally found hanging around bonfires, but today emerging from a pack of pipe tobaccy. Can you believe this ad, from a 1939 True Detective!? Nothing like a whiff of good tobacco smoke to cure what ails you!

p.s. Yes, I live in Raleigh, NC, tobacco country. But my grandfather smoked a pipe until the day he could no longer breathe. He died of emphysema. So did my grandmother, who only inhaled his (nonstop) second-hand smoke. I am not a tobacco advocate!

Yogi, Barely

2011-11-11T23:11:00.000-05:00

Apologies... this is the least finished oddment yet! Just way too much going on... but I will try to update it with further process over the weekend.

Acrylic on text, ~6"x6"

Occupy The Cat(bird) Seat?

2011-11-09T01:00:00.000-05:00

Dear friends, I don't want to dangle an unattainable goal before you, as this fat cat is doing, so I must clarify that there isn't an obvious unifying theme or secret message to this mysterious mini-series. The only thing the images really have in common is what inspired them & where they will be going when they're done. And honestly, that would be pretty hard to guess! The backgrounds do provide a (very slight) clue...

Acrylic on text on canvas, 6"x6"

Also a belated but heartfelt THANKS to Noah, Tatman & the gang @ skulladay for featuring The Girl with the Oddment Tattoo on 1 November! I just now found out it was up there. Yay!

D is for Daidara-bocchi

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

This week's entry for AlphaBeasts!

This fearsome yet playful giant was apparently very fond of messing about with mountains, hence the setting for this portrait, taken from Redway's Natural Elementary Geography, 1897.

I must say, as fond as I am of old textbooks, their blithe stereotyping & patronizing tone often make me squirm. I wonder what Daidara-bocchi would think of the excerpt here....

Acrylic on found illustration, ~4½"x5½". By the way, the big old scratch where D-b's fingernail lands was on the original-- I suspect the engraver's plate had been damaged.

Stealth strike?

2011-11-05T18:24:00.000-04:00

Last summer our hammock was stolen from our backyard. I wonder if this guy was the culprit? He looks so innocent, though... & he's actually rather small.

Acrylic on old matchbox label, ~1½"x2"

Emergent Earthlings

2011-11-03T19:18:00.002-04:00

Late again, & still unfinished, but since Isaac was asking for process shots I don't feel quite so bad about it! I'll post finishes on Saturday if I can get all my deadline work done tomorrow. %}

Acrylic on text on canvas, 6"x6"

Third in the mysterious series... all will be revealed anon!

Surprise!

2011-11-01T21:42:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot that today was an odd day too. Had to squeeze this in at the last minute... I think poor James is about to get squeezed too!

Acrylic on stamp, ~1½" square
Her Odd Materials No. 18

C is for Chōchinobake

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

I was so tickled to discover this monster, clearly related to Jack-o'-Lantern, just in time for the Halloween edition of AlphaBeasts!

Acrylic on found illustration, ~4½"x5½"

The illo in the background is from one of my favorite Fleam Finds, The Museum of Science & Art, 1855. I couldn't bear to tear that one up, so I scanned & printed it to paint over. If you click to enlarge & look very closely, maybe you can see the flying bat-skulls on the wall. I didn't even notice those until I started painting-- kinda spooky! Happy Halloween, everybody!

Inkspotting

2011-10-29T23:27:00.001-04:00

As mentioned in the previous post, I have an irrational fondness for dip pens. No matter how much I use & enjoy technology, I still can't live without a good scritchy nib. If that makes me a dinosaur, so be it! And I also leave a handy trail of ink spots behind so future paleontologists can track my every move. (Although Google & Homeland Security will probably save them the effort.)

Apologies for the lateness of the post-- I have so much going on right now I was afraid it wouldn't happen at all, but I made it at the quasi-proverbial 11th-ish hour. (Though it still needs tweaking.)

This is the second piece in the mysterious series. Acrylic on text on canvas, 6"x6"

Let me tell you, it was tricky to paint calligraphy at this size!! Ironically, I had to use a fine brush rather than a pen.

Mini Monster Mash

2011-10-27T18:08:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling a bit dizzy at the moment, with five different projects underway (in addition to Flash classes & deadlines) & none of them quite scanner-ready.

So I decided to post this little doodle, completed while watching online Flash tutorials, in between taking notes on the stuff I needed to know. (Yes, I do take notes with a crow-quill sometimes! Call me antediluvian,* but it helps keep my calligraphic hand in fighting trim.)

I thought it looked a little like a particularly odd Halloween party.

I draw this sort of nonsense often-- it helps calm me down when my brain is boiling. You should see my college calculus notebooks. By the way, I firmly believe that doodling helps me concentrate. I caught no end of grief for it in school (even though I made good grades) but a couple of years ago I saw this study & felt vindicated. :-D

Hunt's flexible crow-quill pen & ink on legal pad, ~3"x4"

*This is actually a teaser for one of the pieces I'm working on!

Mystery Series!

2011-10-25T18:14:00.000-04:00

{This piece isn't quite finished but as it's already so late, I'm posting it anyway. I'll tweak it & replace it if I have time.}

This is the first in a little mini-series of 5 images. I dare you to guess what is special about this series.

Acrylic on text from The Practical Standard Dictionary, 1943 on canvas, 6"x6"

B is for Bake-Neko

2011-10-23T13:01:00.000-04:00

This week's entry for AlphaBeasts! is again inspired by Toriyama Sekien's Gazu Hyakki Yakō.

The bake-neko is a giant ghost-cat. According to The Obakemono Project, "...bake-neko could exceed normal cats in size by orders of magnitude, reaching their enormous arms in through doors looking for human prey like an average feline pawing around in a mousehole...."

Her Odd Materials No. 16

Acrylic on a torn-out portion of an illustration from St. Nicholas magazine, August 1920, ~4"x5"

Oakling

2011-10-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

I live in Raleigh, NC, USA, a.k.a. Oak City. At this time of year, our lawns, streets & sidewalks are scattered with vast herds of these zoorobotanical beasties. Please watch your step if you come to visit!

Her Odd Materials No. 15: Acrylic, brass wire & rusty tacks on acorn.

Back in a Flash

2011-10-19T10:57:00.001-04:00

Last year it crossed my mind that I should learn how to do a bit of animation. The idea of making my creatures & letters move was tantalizing. The software & class costs were a bit daunting, though, so I applied for a United Arts Artist Project grant to help out. I honestly didn't think I had much of a chance of receiving it, but surprise! It came through!

The grant covered most of the costs & gave me the much-needed impetus to make the leap into learning Flash. What it didn't cover was the time it would take to get the hang of the program (which I found far more daunting than Photoshop or Illustrator)-- not to mention the many, many hours I'd need to invest to create actual animations! Nor did I quite realize the toll it would take on my computer... especially when I was trying to run Flash, PS & AI all at the same time. I think they might have named it Flash to rhyme with crash. ;-)

In other words, the process has been something of a struggle for me and my computer. But last night there was a reception for the United Arts Project Grant winners, & I was determined to bring a sampler piece to the event to show that their generosity was not entirely wasted! The above piece uses nearly every technique I learned in Flash 1.*

One of the hardest things about Flash for me is finding the balance between finesse & practicality. In my paintings & calligraphy, I'm all about details & subtleties. When I work in Photoshop, my files end up being immense, with many layers & high resolution. But part of the deal with Flash is making the files small enough to run efficiently, & letting the "tweens" do as much of the work as possible. Which means relinquishing a lot more control than I'd like. Looking at this piece quite honestly makes me cringe for any number of reasons. I could easily spend another two weeks refining it, except that I don't have two more weeks to spend! But I'm hoping that with more experience I'll learn where I can cut corners & let Flash do its stuff, & where I should invest the time & file-size to tweak frame by frame. I certainly hope my skills improve, but at least this is a start!

*About a week ago, I got a call from the school where I'd taken my class. Apparently they had had many complaints about the teacher, & were offering the next session of Flash 1, with a different instructor, free to those who had taken the first session. Hmmm. Now I feel a little better about my slow & steep learning curve-- maybe it wasn't just my inadequate brain! The new class begins this Friday, so we'll see if it helps... stay tuned.

A is for Amikiri

2011-10-17T07:08:00.000-04:00

Today is a red-letter, red-monster day: the beginning of a new alphabet project, AlphaBeasts!

Successor to Ben Towle's Animal Alphabet, this one is hosted by Andrew Neal & will center on mythical creatures. I think it may be even more fun than the last! I'm hoping to do all 26 letters, & looking forward to discovering many new oddities along the way.

My first AlphaBeast is the Amikiri, or Net Cutter, from Toriyama Sekien's Gazu Hyakki Yakō. I'd never heard of this curious creature with its very specific form of mischief before. I certainly hope it leaves my curtains & fishnets alone!

While this is AlphaBeast No.1, it is also Her Odd Materials No.13. Hmm, sounds like something from mystic numerology.... Acrylic on a cutting from a Larkin Catalog, c.1940, ~5"X6", found at the Fleam of course.

By the way, if you'd like to see my entries for the last series, Animal Alphabet, you'll find most of them on my sketch/process blog, Curious Art Lab. I was late to the party though, so you won't find all 26 letters there, alas!

Light-Headed Contraption

2011-10-13T12:38:00.002-04:00

I loved IF's prompt this week-- I only wish I had more time to make more elaborate contraptions! But I'm crazy busy all week, so just time for a quickie today.

Acrylic on found red light bulb, antique shears & miniature pliers, held together (badly) with copper & brass wire. About 5½" tall.

Her Odd Materials No. 12

Micro-Mold Monster

2011-10-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

One of my odder Fleam-ish purchases was a box of used microscope slides. I think even the vendor was a bit grossed out by them-- she looked quite shocked by my purchase! But they actually make a fun micro-canvas. It was an interesting exercise to fit in a little-bitty monster without covering any of the handwriting.

Her Odd Materials No. 11, Acrylic on used microscope slide, ~1"x3"

p.s.Anyone out there with a clue who R.E.M. might be? I seriously doubt these slides belonged to the recently-disbanded band... though many have accused them of moldiness in their latter years.

Home for Halloween

2011-10-09T07:34:00.005-04:00

I thought I'd try my hand at animating Home Sweet Home. This is pretty rough. Flash is definitely an "Odd Material" as far as I'm concerned. I know it's second nature for some people, but I find it both frustrating & fascinating. For one thing, I still don't quite understand why some videos export & post without issues, & others simply refuse to cooperate.

Do you hear "Happy Halloween" in the audio, or am I hallucinating from excessive computer hours? It was a free download by alextundra, btw, from freesound.org.

Flash, Photoshop, acrylic over text from an old dictionary. I wonder if my mixed media conglomerations will some day reach critical mass & explode. They have already had questionable effects on my computer, & possibly my brain.

edit: At Ted's request I'm including a looped version, for those who are gluttons for punishment!

Pot-Head

2011-10-07T07:30:00.003-04:00

Hot tea suddenly becomes very enticing at about this time of year! I figured I might as well paint with the dregs.

How useless to the novice is that "method" at the bottom!? :-D Especially considering that the book was aimed at "young people," according to the editor's introduction. Not even a hint about brewing time, &c. I suppose it was understood that one could always ask Mother.

Her Odd Materials No. 9

Brassiosaurus

2011-10-05T09:33:00.003-04:00

I believe this is actually an old piece of window hardware-- if you look closely you can see the screw holes. I'd intended to paint it in color, but after I'd sanded down the tarnished brass I loved the resulting texture so much, I decided to let it shine! I used only black & white acrylic to define the shape & details.

It's quite small for a dinosaur- only 1 inch tall x 2½ wide.

Her Odd Materials No. 8

B-Side Beastie

2011-10-03T16:31:00.008-04:00

I was sorting through a box of Victorian scrap hunting for something to use in Her Odd Materials, when I happened to glance at the back side of one of them, & immediately saw a monster-head. So of course I painted it!

The image below is the original chromolith, i.e. the A-side of the Oddment. (If you're having trouble seeing the shape, note that it's rotated 90° & flipped. Her head is the beastie's nose.)

H.O.M No.7: Acrylic on reverse of Victorian scrap, ~2½x3½"

If you missed the link on the last oddment, I'm a "Cryptkeeper" for countdowntohalloween.com-- be sure to check out the other spooky/monstrous/festive blogs on the site!

Oddment Sings the Blueb's

2011-10-01T11:15:00.012-04:00

It's October! Time to curl up & hide!

Okay, not really. I love October-- the crisp weather, the leaves turning, Halloween*-- also, it's always my month to host Book Club, which I thoroughly enjoy. It's actually not until November that I start to feel tinges of those Winter blues, drifting toward the "discouraged, morbid & ill."

Truth to tell, today's experiment was a bit discouraging too. I tried blueberry ink for the first, & probably the last, time. I had some "blueb's" that were beginning to go mushy, so I picked out the bad ones, smashed them up with a bit of white vinegar & salt to preserve color & prevent ickies, & strained them 3 times. Then I tried to concentrate the color in the microwave. Having made jelly in the past, I should have known better!

Due to the sugar & pectin in the fruit, it was very hard to get the ink dark enough to be more than faintly visible without having it gel up. I never did achieve a strength & consistency that satisfied me. Also despite using a super-fine strainer, there were little dark flecks in the ink that were a bit irritating. But oh well, the pallor, spottiness & stickiness sort of fit the gloomy theme. And experiment, successful or not, is part of the idea behind Her Odd Materials. (This is H.O.M. No. 6.)

Pencil, blueberry ink & white gouache on found paper, with some Photoshop tweaking.

The background of this one is a page from Reading Character At Sight, Seven Simple Lessons by Katherine M.H. Blackford, M.D., ©1922. The book is hilarious reading, purporting to psychoanalyze strangers instantly, using such vital clues as the fineness of their hair. It seems to be aimed mainly at salesmen. It was of course a Fleam Find.

*Fellow Halloween enthusiasts might be interested in countdowntohalloween.com, a blog that rounds up blogs with an October focus on Halloween. I'll be participating in this year's countdown!

El Curiosidad

2011-09-29T06:09:00.008-04:00

When my husband visited Mexico a couple of years ago, he brought back a set of Lotería cards for me to play with. Mind you, I'm not much for card games, but he knew I'd have fun with the images. Thanks, T!

For a monster, this guy doesn't look particularly ferocious, & I think it would be pretty amusing to see him chasing his prey, given his obvious lack of aerodynamic finesse. But he does look as though he has managed to devour plenty of something, so if you should ever see him coming, beware!

Her Odd Materials No. 5

Acrylic on Loteria card.

The Girl with the Oddment Tattoo

2011-09-27T06:54:00.005-04:00

Some people look little & cute, but inside they're ferocious. A touch of ink can help bring the inside outside. ;-)

Acrylic on found doll, with bead & pin for belly-button piercing, about 3½" tall.

p.s. Anyone recognize this doll? My sister found it on the street & kindly gave it to me, knowing I'd do something odd with it. If it's yours, I apologize.

Her Odd Materials No. 4

Yeasty Beastie

2011-09-25T07:00:00.002-04:00

Poor, unsuspecting children & shop-clerk! Little did they know that an innocent purchase of Lupulin Yeast Gem would awaken this ferocious oddment.

Acrylic on Victorian advertising scrap, ~2½x4"

Her Odd Materials No. 3

Tyrannical Time

2011-09-23T11:07:00.006-04:00

Time is a ferocious beast that devours my dreams on a daily basis.

I'm possibly the slowest painter in the universe. That's one reason I usually work small. I have so many ideas, so much I want to do, but there's always a huge backlog. I started this project to try to speed up my process, & to some extent it has, but never enough to keep up. Once I start painting, I go into a sort of trance, & next thing I know, hours have passed. Sigh...

This one was actually a quickie though, because it's so tiny! Acrylic on an old watch face, ~1 3/4" in diameter.

Her Odd Materials No.2

Java Jump-Start

2011-09-21T12:21:00.009-04:00

Introducing the latest Oddment series (with a nod to Philip Pullman): Her Odd Materials.

I've been itching to get away from the computer, & I'm a pack rat with collections of all sorts of curious bits & pieces. So I've decided that the next few Oddments will be creatures created with unusual media, or on unusual substrates, or both.

It seems appropriate (for a caffeine junkie like me anyway) to start any new project with a nice cup of coffee. And so I decided to inaugurate this series with a painting using coffee as medium.

Coffee, pencil & gouache on found paper, ~3"x4"

Details: I boiled down some coffee so that it would be dark enough for the darks, used normal-strength coffee for the palest tones, & white gouache for highlights. The background paper is from a Workman's Weekly Time Book (pocket sized). Not sure of the actual publication date, but the entries are from 1929-30.

Warning: Boiled coffee smells utterly vile, & the reek ruins the flavor of any good coffee one happens to be drinking!

Zoophyte

2011-09-19T16:16:00.005-04:00

An undersea slacker of sorts, this curiotype need not stir from his seat to hunt for dinner. Rather, he lures passing prey with mesmerizing undulations of his graceful faux-fronds, then "welcomes little fishes in with gently smiling jaws."

To be honest, "zoophyte" was already becoming obsolete as a term of scientific classification when the background text was published in 1906, but I ask you, how could I resist ending the alphabet with a botano-beastie?

Photoshop with text from Chambers's Encyclopaedia, 1906.

Yttriferous

2011-09-17T09:50:00.001-04:00

Okay, so Y is another tricky science letter. (See W.) I was almost stumped for a visual until I read that yttrium is a key ingredient in the formula for some synthetic garnets. That was the inspiration for this curiotype. You probably need to click on the image to see the face.

Photoshop with text from The Practical Standard Dictionary.

I wish I really had a bottle that looks like this. I have a bunch of wonderful old chemistry glass thanks to my dad, but I've always coveted really strange stuff like alchemical ware & Klein bottles. (Topology was one of my earliest science/math obsessions... right after malaria mosquitoes. Both due to random museum-visit epiphanies.)

Hey, this is Oddment number 50! And the curiotype alphabet is almost done. I'm a bit surprised I've made it this far. Raise a glass (of some non-yttriferous liquid) to the Oddments!

Xerophilous

2011-09-15T14:00:00.003-04:00

I'm quite fond of cacti, but I wouldn't want this prickly curiotype as a pet-- imagine how it would feel to have him brush up against your legs!

Photoshop with text from Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 1949

Wavelength

2011-09-13T07:00:00.004-04:00

It's a rare & beautiful thing when two individuals transcend the boundaries of self & begin to move through life on precisely the same wavelength. These synchronous swimmers were loosely inspired by the astonishingly graceful & romantic waltzing weedy sea dragons.

(Many thanks to Isaac for introducing me to these real-life oddments!)

By the way, you may note that this curiotype is a departure from the more arcane vocabulary of previous entries. That is because there was no W in classical Latin, the base language of most scientific terms. I'm rather glad since it gave me the perfect opportunity to celebrate sea dragons!

Photoshop with text from Steele's Fourteen Weeks of Physics, 1878.

Ventricose

2011-09-11T07:00:00.003-04:00

This curiotype is something of a gourmand... & he wears his indulgences proudly.

Photoshop with text from Gray's Introduction to Structural & Systemic Botany, 1876

Urceolate

2011-09-09T14:15:00.004-04:00

Contained within the urceolate boundaries of this curiotype is an unexpected oddment! He lives a dreamy, meditative life, hidden away in a flower similar to this one. I only discovered him very recently, when the specimen happened to be turned upside down.

Photoshop with text from Gray's Introduction to Structural & Systemic Botany, 1876

Totally Tubulose

2011-09-07T08:18:00.006-04:00

Is it a fallen flower? A long-leggity oddment doing the backstroke? Or something completely different?

All I know for sure is that it's a curiotype.

Photoshop with text from The Practical Standard Dictionary.

Strombuliferous

2011-09-05T13:00:00.004-04:00

This curiotype is a speedy, springy fellow who can cover quite a distance in a single bound, utterly unlike the snail with which he is sometimes confused.

Full disclosure: I found after I'd started this that the term strombuliferous is somewhat archaic. So fling it around in everyday conversation at your own risk. ;-)

Radiciform

2011-09-03T11:55:00.007-04:00

Continuing the cross-section theme: this devious fellow snuggles quietly down into the loam & remains perfectly still until a root borer happens along-- then suddenly snaps to life & gobbles him up!

Mysterious are the ways of nature. If you think such extreme camouflage is unlikely, take a look at this real-life amazingness.

Also, mysterious are the ways of Google. An image search for radiciform turns up the most peculiarly random assortment of stuff. ?????

Edit: I must say this IF prompt has brought out some of the coolest entries I've seen in a while! Definitely worth perusing if you haven't already.

Curiotype Collection

2011-09-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

You might say this is cheating, & I do apologize, but two oddments in a row would wreak serious havoc with my current work schedule. :-( So I thought instead I'd see what the first 16 curiotype characters looked like all nicely lined up in order, in the spirit of Things Organized Neatly. I think their letteriness comes through a little more as a group, what do you think? But the "N" sticks out like a frostbitten thumb... I may redo that one at some point.

Quadripartite

2011-08-31T00:00:00.002-04:00

I love seedpods & tend to pick up a few whenever I take walks in Autumn. They can have amazingly complex & fascinating interior structures (though I've never yet found one that contained quadruplets as this curiotype does).

I also have a serious thing for cross-sections & cutaways. It's so much fun to get to peek inside something & see how it all works. Peacay of Bibliodyssey has posted some beauties & I was filled with absolute giddy glee when I first saw the "Let me tell you about my boat" scene from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. {Sorry this is such a lo-res copy-- if you know of a better link please let me know.}

And have you seen this wonderful animated version of "Man as Industrial Palace" by Fritz Kahn?

Oh yes, back to the curiotype. It's Photoshop with text from Gray's Introduction to Structural & Systemic Botany, 1876

Perfoliate

2011-08-29T14:59:00.005-04:00

Is it an animal disguised as a plant? An oddment disguised as a "P"? Or a curiotype disguised as an entry for this week's IF?

Photoshop with text from Gray's Introduction to Structural & Systemic Botany, 1876

Ocellated

2011-08-27T04:07:00.006-04:00

Eyespots make an excellent disguise, whether for confusing predators or providing camouflage. All sorts of creatures wear them: fish, moths, peacocks, curiotypes. (Did you know that the ocelot is named after its eyespots?) And as a special bonus, they even look like "O"s!

Photoshop with text from The Practical Standard Dictionary, 1943.

I'm hearing about a lot of power outages in our area from Hurricane Irene-- so far we've lucked out, but if I don't respond or post for a while, you'll know why!

Nunatak

2011-08-25T16:46:00.010-04:00

N points to the frozen North, which is well out of my comfort zone, both physically & artistically! But I felt I'd been neglecting geology with my Curiotype words & besides, Nunatak is fun to say.

Photoshop with text from The Practical Standard Dictionary, 1943.

p.s. Speaking of fun-sounding words, an old family favorite: http://www.wepsite.de/bulbous%20bouffant.mp3

Muricate

2011-08-23T19:14:00.003-04:00

M marks the midpoint in the Curiotype alphabet!

Apologies for the late post-- I had two deadlines today that had to be done first, & boy do all those points take time to draw!

Photoshop with text from good ol' Gray's Introduction to Structural & Systemic Botany, 1876

Labiate

2011-08-21T06:53:00.007-04:00

A sea creature influenced by lippy flowers may seem odd, but I ask you, is it (or anything) really any odder than the Sarcastic Fringehead!?

(Thanks to comic creator/arcane animal sleuth Isaac for introducing me to that one!)

This Curiotype is brought to you by the letter L.

Photoshop with text from Gray's Introduction to Structural & Systemic Botany, 1876

Kinesthesia

2011-08-19T07:00:00.002-04:00

Gone are the days when the average gnome was content to spend his golden years happily puttering about the garden. Today's modern senior gnome stays buff in the gym, diligently swelling his biceps instead of his belly.

Curiotype K, Photoshop with text from Websters New Collegiate Dictionary 1949

p.s. I know this is a little late for "Swell" but better late than never, I hope.

Julaceous

2011-08-17T08:00:00.003-04:00

Ever since I first encountered pussy willows as a little girl I've had a soft spot for catkins. This particular (Curiotypical) species appears indecisive until one examines its terminal floret.

(Click if you dare.)

Photoshop with text from Gray's Introduction to Structural & Systemic Botany, 1876

Irruption!

2011-08-15T08:45:00.001-04:00

Invasion of the Oddments!! When the population of a single species in a given area suddenly swells, it can pose problems for other less populous species. For instance, in my house we are now experiencing an irruption of fruit flies (due, no doubt, to the also-increasing numbers of peaches, figs & tomatoes populating the kitchen counter). These obnoxious beasties definitely have the local humans way outnumbered, & despite a distinct disadvantage in size (& one would hope, intelligence), the little guys are clearly winning. *Sigh*

This is Curiotype Number Nine. (Cue white album.) Photoshop with text from Webster's Dictionary, 1945.

Return of the Oddments: Helicoid!

2011-08-13T15:55:00.003-04:00

My computer seems to be working fine now-- I've been scrambling to make up for lost work time. At last I'm back to my master plan for world oddment-ification! Another in the Curiotype series.

Photoshop, with text from Gray's Introduction to Structural & Systemic Botany, 1876

The Case of the Missing Oddment

2011-08-09T06:09:00.002-04:00

Alas, my computer wasn't just crying wolf... it's completely out of commission at the moment. Oddments will be on hold until it's back in operation. Let's hope it's soon!

Geminate

2011-08-07T08:28:00.003-04:00

As a mother of twins, I'm particularly fond of this Curiotype.

Photoshop on text from an old dictionary.

p.s. My computer is acting up lately, so if I miss an oddment, you'll know why. :-O Wish me luck!

Filoplume

2011-08-05T09:00:00.003-04:00

I don't think the back of the head is quite the usual placement for a filoplume, but this feather does possess a slender, hairlike shaft & few barbs, & since it's growing on an oddment, I get to put it wherever I like! :-P

Photoshop with text from Hegner's College Zoology, 1920.

Ecdysis

2011-08-03T08:33:00.008-04:00

When I was looking for text to incorporate into the background of this Curiotype , I was startled to find a related term coined by H. L. Mencken: apparently an ecdysiast is a stripper! I'd never heard that one, but it's certainly apropos. There's even something about the lacy transparency of a snakeskin that resembles diaphanous lingerie... with an inside-out head attached... now that would make for an interesting ensemble.

Photoshop with text from The Practical Standard Dictionary, 1943.

Edit: I'm being a bit slithery & counting this as this week's entry for Ben Towle's Animal Alphabet-- after all, S is for Skin-Shedding Snake-- just pretend you don't see that E. ;-)

Dimorphous Dance

2011-08-01T11:20:00.006-04:00

Vive la Différence!

Photoshop with text from an old dictionary.

Curiotype No. 4

Claviculate

2011-07-31T13:42:00.003-04:00

Another of my obsessions: tendrils! How handy that "C" was up next in my Curiotype series.

Photoshop with text from an old dictionary.

Buccal Cavity

2011-07-29T14:05:00.015-04:00

Oh my, this week's IF word surely hit home. I'd already begun this image, & in fact had already begun lecturing myself about my obsession with detail... I have a tendency not to see the forest for the lichen, so to speak.

I obsess about a lot of things actually, but detail is probably at the top of the list. It gets in my way as often as not, but it's a deeply ingrained part of my personality. Usually I try to fight it, but I let it take the reins on this piece. (Except that, to tell the truth, I could easily keep tweaking it for another 3 hours or more, making changes that were virtually invisible to the eye. But I have a lot of other things that need doing, so this will have to be it.)

I used to have a related obsession with putting hidden words in every picture. I let that one sneak back in here too.

This is the second in a series I'm calling Curiotype.

Photoshop with text from an old dictionary. I kind of veered off from the word that inspired this originally: Buccal, having to do with the cheeks or the cavity of the mouth.

Auriculate

2011-07-27T10:30:00.006-04:00

This ear-y oddment is inaugurating a new series... can you guess what it might be?

Photoshop, text from an 1876 Introduction to Botany

Edit: Sarah got it! The series is Curiotype, an alphabet of figural letters illustrating scientific terms.

Speed Garden

2011-07-25T19:03:00.009-04:00

(...and speed oddment too... this has been a busy day, sorry for the late post!)

This oddment is from an old sketchbook, with Photoshopical additions. The gardener may look a bit odd, but really it's the garden itself that is unusual. I suppose I must have been feeling impatient with my own garden when I drew this.

(This is my second oddment for IF this week; the first is Perennial Curiosity.)

NEWS FLASH! Tuesday 26 July: Oddments & Curiosities is featured on Noah Scalin's Make Something 365 blog! I'm so excited! Noah is one of the most creative & inspiring bloggers around. If any of you don't know about his Skull-A-Day blog, you should head right over there & have your mind thoroughly blown by his original year of daily skulls. He is also the author of 365: A Daily Creativity Journal, a great resource for anyone pursuing a daily (or odd-daily) project. (See store links on the 365 site.)

Perennial Curiosity

2011-07-23T16:03:00.007-04:00

I loved the quotation in this week's IF prompt:

“A good scientist is a person in whom the childhood quality of perennial curiosity lingers on. Once he gets an answer, he has other questions.” ~ Frederick Seitz

I think artists tend to be the same way, don't you?

This curious specimen grew out of the painting I'm working on (with a few changes).

Photoshop, text & acrylic textures. Please click to see details.

Legally Odd

2011-07-21T10:34:00.008-04:00

And now for something completely different! Here's a whole parade of oddments, marching in a highly disorganized fashion. Or maybe it's a page of legal notes in an alien language?

Either way, I worry that this document could someday be used against me in a court of law.

Click on the image if you want a closer view of the oddments. Which of these do you think should grow into bigger oddments?

Crow-quill pen & ink on legal pad. As I was drawing this, my husband kept walking by & shaking his head. :-D

Woodland Oddment

2011-07-19T15:31:00.005-04:00

I found this oddment lumbering through the forest.

I invited him into my painting but he doesn't look too happy about it.

Photoshop, text, & acrylic

21-Gun Salute

2011-07-17T10:00:00.005-04:00

In a gesture of pride for its number, 21, this oddment is showing off its appropriately numerous biceps (count them if you don't believe me).